Even though the ground hasn?t been broken on the 2022 crop year in Iowa, there is a lot of concern about the 2023 Farm Bill. Debates and wish lists are already being compared for this all-important piece of legislation that deals with agriculture and food policy in the United States. On the Senate Ag Committee, we are already seeing discussion on several topics between Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR).
As we look ahead to the Farm Bill in 2023, one factor that could be an impediment reaches across party lines, and that is funding. Senator Debbie Stabenow says that there may not be enough available to fund conservation projects and wishes.
Stabenow wants to see more funding for climate smart agriculture endeavors, but it will take some creative finagling to get a lot of these new ideas funded.
Nutrition title changes have been rejected by the Senate in the House versions of the bill. Ranking Member Boozman says he doesn?t know what will happen this time around. We have seen significant inflation to food prices in the past two years. Boozman is hopeful common sense will prevail.
Boozman says it will be harder to justify the safety net when crop prices are so good, but these programs are still needed when you factor in the rising costs of inputs that are eroding those financial gains from grain prices.
Another factor to consider is this:
Democrats have control of the Senate for the first time in a while, and with a Democratic House, they may push to get changes made and the 2023 Farm Bill approved before the 2022 midterms, especially as the Dems razor-thin lead in the upper chamber rests solely on Vice President Harris, and the House has been losing seats to Republicans in the past few elections.
